A Tortured Soul
by Serpent1
Summary: Fleeing his abusive father, Rane is found outside the junkyard injured badly. Now the Jellicles must help this tortured soul find peace and protect him from his father.
1. Chapter 1

A Tortured Soul

A Tortured Soul

Disclaimer: Cats the musical isn't mine.

Chapter 1: The Ongoing Nightmare

The horrible shouts had faded into the distance but still the charcoal kitten forced himself to continue running. His body felt like it was on fire and his legs were nearly on the verge of giving out from under him but he somehow kept himself upright. He ran down the rain filled street, splashing through small puddles desperately looking for somewhere, _anywhere_, to hide. He didn't want that monster to find him; if he did, he would surely kill him. The kitten's heart pounded in his chest as he turned down an alleyway that had a few garbage cans and a dumpster inside. The smell was really bad; he could hide in one of those and there'd be no way the monster could catch his scent. At least he hoped not. He slowed to a stumbling walk as a gentle rain began to fall from the black sky; it almost felt soothing to him, washing off some of the dried blood in his fur. However, his untrustworthy legs buckled and before he could catch himself, he bumped into one of the cans and it toppled over with a loud crash.

In a panic, the kitten hid behind the large dumpster praying the monster hadn't heard the crash but in his heart, he knew it had. And sure enough, a moment later he heard the sound of footsteps coming into the alleyway; heard the heavy breathing of the monster and choked back a whimper of fear.

"I know you're here boy," it said, a growl mixing in with its words, "I can smell you." It began to slowly walk deeper into the alley searching for him. The kitten huddled into a tight ball making himself as small as possible.

"You've been a bad kitten Rane," it said gruffly as it continued to search, "And when I find you, you'll be sorry."

The words cut through the kitten like a knife. He had to keep still; he couldn't let the monster…his father…find him again. He had run away like this once before; he didn't get too far before his father found him. He had dragged the frightened kitten home and beaten him nearly senseless. This had been going on for nearly all of his young life; his mother had gotten sick a few weeks after she had taught him how to hunt mice and about two months later she was dead. His father however, had blamed him for his mother's death saying that he had worn her out and that was why she had gotten sick. Rane protested that it wasn't his fault and father had hit him; that had been the beginning of this ongoing nightmare. From then on, every time he did the slightest thing wrong he would be beaten. Finally, Rane had had enough and tried to stand up to his father. His father had simply laughed at him and dared him to try something. Of course, Rane was still too afraid to actually hit his father and, attempted to leave.

It was a mistake; his father had attacked him from behind, knocking him to the ground and punching him in the face viciously. Rane had put up his paws to protect himself but his father had laughed again.

"Think you're brave now do you?" he had asked mockingly, "Look at you. Lying there like a coward!" He'd stood up then and hauled Rane to his feet. "Come on you little bastard," he taunted, "Hit me!" Rane hesitated and his father shoved him back, slamming him into the wall. He'd shouted again for Rane to hit him and this time the kitten lashed out with everything he had. The blow had knocked his father back a step and opened a small cut on his cheek. His father glared murderously at him and swung as hard as he could; a blow that would surely have broken the kitten's neck. Rane ducked beneath the blow and pushed his father down then ran for his life, the horrible shouts of the enraged monster trailing behind him.

And now here he was; he was only a few steps away from the dumpster behind which Rane hid. He banged on the side of the dumpster causing the kitten to jump slightly but he did not move. Slowly he began to move on and Rane waited until the alley was quiet then lifted his head to peer out. As soon as he did, a paw reached down, grabbed him by the scruff and pulled him out of his hiding place.

"Scratch me will you," his father shouted throwing the kitten to the ground, "You little bastard!"

He sent a powerful kick thudding into Rane's side doubling the kitten over with a grunt of pain. He kicked him again growling at the whimper from his victim. He grabbed Rane by the scruff and tossed him into the side of the building on the left side of the alley, swiping his claws across the kitten's chest then kicked him a third time as he slumped to the ground.

Turning away from his victim, he looked around a little; coming upon a small block of wood which was just the right size for a club. He came back over to the prone kitten and brought the club down; Rane instinctively covered his head and the club smashed into his back driving him to the pavement again. Rane held still waiting for the final blow when suddenly he heard the sound of claws ticking along the pavement. Pollicles; it sounded like there were at least four of them and moments later, they were barking excitedly and his father cursed and took off running, the dogs close behind ignoring the injured kitten.

Rane's body screamed with agony as he pulled himself down the alley and out the far end. He had no idea where he was and his vision was a bit blurry. There was a tall fence just down the street from him and some piles of something behind it; he couldn't tell what it was. Painfully, the kitten crawled toward it, hoping at least to find somewhere to rest. As he reached the fence, his vision cleared just enough for him to see an old cardboard box lying near the gate. It was a bit soggy from the rain but right then he didn't care so long as he could get inside and rest. Rest would stop the pain. He crawled forward again and got into the box; the water hadn't soaked all the way through yet and he was thankful for that. He tucked himself into a ball and fell into a fitful sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Safe

Chapter 2: Safe?

Demeter padded quickly down the dark streets hoping to get back to the junkyard before it started to rain again. She could smell the rain in the air and knew she had to hurry. It had been a long day for her; she had visited her human family today and their children had been quite playful. She didn't mind playing with them unless they got a bit too rowdy; the youngest one had the annoying habit of pulling on her tail when she tried to walk away from him. She wouldn't scratch him but she did give him a stern hiss to let him know not to do that. The only problem was he never listened.

The deep shadows of the alleyways she passed always made her a little nervous. Munkustrap had offered to come meet her at her human's house and walk with her back to the junkyard but she insisted that she'd be fine. Now though, she kind of wished she had let him come. Macavity usually roamed the streets at this hour of night and if she happened to come across him, there would be no one to help her or anyone to hear her if she screamed. Not that she couldn't take care of herself; she had ruined his plans at last years Jellicle Ball by jumping on his back when he posed as Old Deuteronomy but when she was face to face with him, her resolve crumbled into dust.

_Don't think about it,_ she told herself, _you're almost there._

A few minutes later, she saw the tall piles of junk rising high above the main gate and felt herself relax slightly. Only a little further and she'd be able to lie down in her den with her mate beside her and let all the fear and tension of being out here alone wash away. As she neared the main gate she saw a large cardboard box lying nearby but thought nothing of it; things sometimes fell off the piles anyway and humans were never careful when they tossed something new over the fence. She was about to push open the gate when out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw the box move. Glancing at it, she waited to see if it would move again but it didn't. Had she imagined it? Most likely; she was pretty tired after playing with those children all afternoon. She started to turn away when the box moved again; there was definitely something inside.

Cautiously, she approached the box and walked around to the other side in order to look inside. She expected to find some alley cat rummaging around in which case she would simply chase it off but she was surprised when she looked in and found a kitten curled up tightly in a ball. The kitten was asleep but there was a look of pain on his small face; he was almost grimacing. Taking a closer look at him, without blocking all the dim light, Demeter could see this kitten had been hurt badly. There was dried blood on his face, one eye was swollen and his fur was ruffled; it looked as if someone had tried to pull it out. Macavity's work…or maybe Pollicles; they both enjoyed torturing their victims. At any rate, she couldn't leave him out here; she was starting to feel droplets of rain on her back and the box itself was nearly soaked through from the previous downpour. Gently, she reached in and shook the kitten.

His pale golden eyes opened, blinked a couple of times, then went wide as he saw Demeter looking at him. Frantically he tried to get away from her but since his back was against the wall of the box, he realized he was trapped. He curled himself up and trembled with fear.

"Hey, hey it's alright," Demeter said gently, "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Go away," the kitten said, his voice almost cracking. He hid his head in his arms and trembled even more.

"It's ok," Demeter repeated, "You're safe now."

The kitten slowly lifted his head and looked at her again. Demeter's heart went out to him; this kitten reminded her so much of herself when she'd first gotten away from Macavity. She smiled at him, hoping it would show him that she was not a threat.

"What's your name?" she asked. He paused, unsure whether he should tell her or not then finally answered nervously, "R-Rane,"

"That's a cute name," the black and gold queen said, "I'm Demeter. Can you tell me where your parents are?"

Rane shook his head as if the very mention of his parents terrified him. He curled himself up tighter. "I'm not going back," he cried.

"Ok, ok," Demeter said trying to calm him down a bit. She sat up and looked around. The rain had increased to a gentle shower but it was going to get worse. "Can you come out of there for me?" she asked, "You can't stay out here by yourself." She backed away a little and waited patiently for the kitten to decide. Slowly and a bit painfully, the charcoal kitten emerged from the box. He looked over at the junkyard then back to Demeter. "What is this?"

"The Jellicle Junkyard," Demeter answered, "My home. Come on let's get inside before we both get soaked." She started toward the gate with Rane doing his best to keep up. Pushing open the gate, she gently nudged the nervous kitten in ahead of her then came in herself and shut the gate.

"This way," she said nudging the kitten again, "I want to let a friend of mine take a look at you."

Rane didn't resist and Demeter wondered exactly what had happened to him. He seemed so submissive; afraid to go against anything anyone told him. He walked with his head down, glancing up occasionally to see where he was going but never made a sound. They walked over to Jennyanydots' den; the Gumbie Cat usually looked after the sick and injured but she was away visiting her humans as well so Jellylorum had taken over her duties for the time being. Demeter tapped on the side of the doorway as she brought Rane inside.

"Hello Demeter," Jelly said as she noticed them come in, "How was your visit?"

"It was fine," Demeter answered, "The children were a bit…lively though. But that's not why I'm here." She moved Rane out in front of her as he had hidden behind her when they'd come in. "This is Rane. I found the little guy out by the main gate in a box. He seemed a bit roughed up so I was wondering if you could take a look at him."

Jelly crouched down so she was eye level with the kitten. "Hello there," she said kindly. Rane looked down and didn't answer. "Look up sweetie," she said, "Let me have a look at you." Rane did as he was told and after a quick look, Jelly asked him to sit down and she went and got a cloth a bowl of water.

"What happened?" she asked, more to Demeter than the kitten, "Pollicles?"

"I don't know," Demeter answered. Jelly started to clean the blood off the kitten's face and chest and noticed that he was holding onto his left side. She told him to move his paw and she saw a nasty bruise starting to form beneath his dark fur.

"He'll have to stay here for a while," Jelly said, brushing the fur on the kitten's head. Rane cringed at her touch and gave a small grunt of pain. "You may as well go and get some sleep," she said to Demeter noticing the concerned look on her face at his reaction, "I'll look after him." Demeter gave Rane a reassuring nuzzle then walked out the doorway. The kitten watched her go then turned back to Jellylorum who was fixing up a bundle of cloths for him to sleep on thinking about what Demeter had said. Safe? Was he really safe here? He hoped so; but he knew from bitter experience that if the monster wanted to get him badly enough, nothing would stop him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Blending in…or not

Chapter 3: Blending in…or not

The following morning, Demeter came back to Jenny's den to see how Rane was doing. Jellylorum met her at the doorway motioning for her to be quiet as the kitten was still asleep inside. The two queens walked a short distance away where they could talk normally without disturbing him.

"How is he?" Demeter asked.

"He was beat up pretty bad but he looks a bit better this morning," Jelly said honestly, "You remember that bruise I found on his side last night? I found another one on his back; that's why he seemed to have trouble walking. I gave him a bit of catnip for the pain and I checked the rest of him; he has scars all over his little body." She shook her head and sighed. "I can't imagine why anyone would want to do that to a kitten. From what I could see, whoever did that was trying to kill him."

"Macavity maybe?" Demeter asked. This sounded like his work to her.

"I don't know," Jelly said, "If it was, then maybe he hired someone to do this; one of his henchcats maybe." Noticing Demeter looking past her with a small frown on her face, Jelly turned in time to see Pouncival starting to enter her den and waving to the others to come see.

"Pouncival," Jelly called, keeping her voice quiet as she and Demeter hurried over, "No. Don't go in there." By now, Jemima, Victoria and Tumblebrutus had joined their friend by the entrance to the den, all peeking around Jellylorum to try and see the new kitten.

"Who is he?" Victoria asked.

"His name's Rane," Demeter said, helping Jelly to herd the kittens away from the den, "I found him outside the main gate last night and he was pretty beat up." They managed to get the kittens away and Jelly glanced back to see if the slight commotion had woken up Rane but no one appeared at the doorway. She was thankful for that; the kitten needed to rest.

"But right now, he needs to rest," Jelly told them firmly, "Which means you four have to be quiet."

"Too late," Demeter said looking back at the den. Following her gaze, Jelly sighed again in frustration; Rane stood quietly in the doorway watching them. His eyes blinked a couple of times in the sunlight but he was fully awake. Jelly shooed the kittens away then she and Demeter came back over to where Rane stood.

"You shouldn't be up sweetie," Jelly said kindly, "You have to rest or you'll never feel better."

"I n-needed some air," Rane said timidly, afraid that Jelly was angry with him for getting up when he shouldn't have. Demeter smiled at him then told Jelly to let the kitten stay up for a while; if he moved around a bit, he would probably get tired again and he would sleep better. Jelly conceded but told Rane not to go too far. The kitten again nodded timidly and slowly walked off. True to his word, he didn't go far at all; he climbed up onto an old dishwasher nearby and lay down in the sun. Demeter shook her head as she saw him grimace with pain as he eased himself down, wishing she knew who had done this to him.

Rane wasn't lying there long when Jemima, Victoria and Etcetera came back. Seeing them coming, Rane tensed. They were whispering between themselves as they came which made the charcoal kitten even more nervous wondering what they were saying. Were they talking about him? Arriving at the dishwasher, Etcetera jumped up beside him while Jemima and Victoria sat on a box on the side. They said hi and introduced themselves; Rane gave a small, but forced, smile to be polite though he wished they would leave him alone.

"What happened to you?" Etcetera asked looking at the bandage on Rane's chest, "Were you in a fight with a Pollicle?"

"I…don't want to talk about it," Rane answered, his voice cutting out on him momentarily. Victoria and Jemima giggled which made Rane feel more uneasy. _Now they're laughing at me._

"Come on, you can tell us," the white queen said giving Rane a light tap on his arm, "We promise, we won't laugh." Rane just shook his head.

"Hey, why don't we show him around?" Jemima suggested. Victoria smiled at her friend then half whispered to Rane, "I think Jem likes you,"

"Shut up," Jemima said with a laugh, lightly pushing Victoria. Suddenly, Etcetera looked up and leaped to her feet with a half squeal of excitement. The other queenkits turned and Rane followed their gaze; a tall Maine Coon was swaggering toward them, an arrogant smile on his face.

"Now, now ladies," he said in a smooth voice, "Let's not pester the kid."

_You have got to be kidding me,_ Rane thought as he looked at this new arrival. The cat was quite tall with dark fur and a large fluffy mane around his head which he fluffed up a bit more as he came toward them which made the queenkits giggle and purr. He stopped in front of them and hooked his thumbs in a shiny belt around his waist. The Maine Coon smiled at Jemima and Victoria making them blush then winked at Etcetera who nearly fainted.

"Hi Tugger," she said in a dream-like voice. The Rum Tum Tugger glanced at the three queenkits then grinned at Rane.

"Looks like you got the touch for the ladies too my man," he said, "Maybe I got myself some competition huh?" Rane didn't answer; he was too blown away at how cocky this cat was.

"Not much of a talker are you," Tugger said the grin never leaving his face, "That's cool. You'll come around eventually. Hey, if you ever need some advice with the ladies, you let me know." He winked again then sauntered off all three queenkits trailing along behind him.

Rane watched them go then slowly got to his feet. Maybe it'd been a bad idea for him to come outside. The three queens were nice enough, but that one they called Tugger was just plain weird. Who in Bast's name did he think he was? Shaking his head he climbed down off the dishwasher and decided maybe he needed to lie down again. His back was starting to ache as well as his side so he figured it'd be best to rest for a bit then he could come back out a little later; if he wanted to.

He made his way back to Jelly's den but stopped when he got in the door. Demeter and Jelly were there talking to another cat; a tall, lean silver tabby. Demeter glanced over at him and smiled.

"Tired already?" she asked. Rane nodded. "My back is starting to ache a little," he said honestly.

"Rane, this is my mate Munkustrap," Demeter said, touching the silver tabby on the arm to get his attention, "He's the tribe Protector." The tabby turned and when Rane saw his face, his eyes bulged and a wave of terror washed over him. Jelly looked over, concerned, at the kitten and asked if he was alright. Rane's entire body trembled and his mouth went dry; it couldn't be; he was chased away by the Pollicles; how could he find him so fast?

Demeter asked what was wrong but Rane didn't hear her either. He couldn't take his eyes off the cat in front of him. The monster was here; he'd found him again. He had to get away.

"No," he said quietly backing away, "No, I'm not going back." The tabby glanced at Demeter then back to him. She had brought him here; Demeter had brought the monster here to get him. Safe his tail! She and Jellylorum…all of them…they were only keeping him here until the monster arrived. Ignoring the growing ache in his side and back, Rane spun around and ran, the calls of the traitors echoing behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

Near the junkyard, Rane's father angrily searched through piles of garbage and checked in cans looking for his son. That little rat was going to get his when he found him. If those damn Pollicles hadn't interfered last night, he would've finished Rane off, like he should have a long time ago, and be done with it. Some of the garbage was completely disgusting but he figured he had no other choice. After he'd lost those dogs, he'd been too tired to go back to the alley and he'd flopped down inside a tipped over garbage can to sleep. This morning when he'd got back to the alley, he was irritated to see that Rane was gone; the stupid kitten didn't have the common decency to die there or, at the very least, stay nearby and he was forced to have to track him down again.

He'd searched the entire alley end to end and found no sign of the kitten which made him even more irritated. On a good note though, he had found a couple of mice running around near the dumpster that Rane had hidden behind last night; at least he wouldn't be searching on an empty stomach. Reaching the end of the alley, he looked left and then right huffing in frustration; there were a hundred places that brat could've gone; he'd never find on his own. He glanced left again at the junkyard thinking. Personally, he had no time for those Jellicles but on the other paw they could make it easier to find Rane. Yes, he could play the distraught father routine, as he'd done the last time Rane took off, and find him in no time.

Padding toward the junkyard, he tried to appear worried and afraid but dropped it when he heard a queen call out a name. His ears perked up and a smile started creeping across his face; she had called the name "Rane".

_So this is where you're hiding,_ he thought as he padded more quickly toward the main gate, _this'll be easier than I thought._

"Rane!" Demeter called out, running after him but the kitten was sprinting for the open main gate as fast as he could. Munkustrap and Jelly joined her in hurrying after him; they had to stop him before he got out of the junkyard; the streets were more dangerous during the day than they were at night. The greatest danger lay in the human's cars; in the state Rane was in, he could run out into the street just as one was passing by and be crushed beneath it.

Seeing other cats peering out curiously at what was going on, Demeter called for them to help stop the frantic kitten from leaving. Alonzo and Plato joined in the chase, darting out from their dens to try and cut Rane off but, as they soon realized, Rane was surprisingly quick. He dodged nimbly around Plato and when Alonzo tried to grab him, he stopped and dodged around him the other way when he'd gone past. _Almost there,_ Rane thought frantically, _I have to get away…he can't find me again. I won't go back!_

Taking a quick look behind him, he saw the monster running ahead of Demeter and Jellylorum and he was gaining on him. This spurred him to run even faster, nearly crashing into Tugger who had emerged from his den wondering what in Bast's name all the racket was about. The Maine Coon was surprised when the charcoal kitten came within three steps of slamming into him then changed direction and sped past him. He was about to say something when he noticed another cat standing just outside the gate peering around the corner watching the kitten race toward it. He couldn't tell what kind of cat it was but something told him he wasn't friendly. His suspicion was right as the cat grabbed Rane as soon as he emerged from the gate.

Rane's heart almost froze in his chest when he burst out of the main gate and ran straight into a set of powerful arms. The scent was unmistakable; but how did he get in front of him so quickly? The monster was far enough behind him that he could've at least gotten into an alley before he caught him.

"You can't hide from me boy," a familiar voice hissed in his ear, "I told you I'd find you."

Catching up with the others, Tugger was surprised again when he saw this new cat; he was a silver tabby like Munk. The only differences; Munk was a bit leaner than him, this cat's fur was a shade darker and his black stripes were thinner.

"Let go of him," Munk demanded sternly and the other tabby gave them a fierce glare.

"Back off," he snarled his voice much deeper than Munk's, "This is none of your business."

"Let him go," Munk snarled back slowly, taking a step toward the other tabby.

"Who are you?" Demeter demanded. The tabby favored her with a sneering grin.

"The name is Armas," the tabby answered. He tightened his grip on Rane. "And he is my son." Demeter looked at him disgusted. This was Rane's father? "Now, if you'll excuse me," Armas said starting to back away, "I'm taking my son back where he belongs."

"I'm not going back," Rane cried struggling in his father's grip. Armas growled and gave the kitten a quick punch in the face silencing him. Demeter now understood what had happened to the poor kitten; his own father had nearly beaten him to death and had probably been beating him all his life hence the scars all over his body.

"How can you do that to your own son?" Jellylorum hissed bitterly.

"He's my property," Armas retorted, "And I'll do to him what I want." Once again, he started backing away almost dragging Rane with him. At that point, Tugger stepped up beside his brother.

"You're not takin' that kid anywhere," he snapped. Armas looked at him and laughed. "And what are you going to do about it pretty boy?" he asked mockingly.

By now, other members of the tribe had gathered nearby curious as to what was going on. Jellylorum broke off from the group to keep the kittens away as they had gathered in their own little group by one of the gate doors. Victoria yelled at Armas to leave Rane alone, Pouncival and Tumblebrutus looked as if they were ready to charge out and attack him and Jemima watched with a frightened look. Jelly made sure they stayed away.

"I'm only going to give you one more warning," Munk said, "Let Rane go."

"You take one more step," Armas warned taking hold of Rane's head, "And I'll break this little bastard's neck."

Rane shut his eyes, a whimper escaping from him. He felt his father's angry gaze fall on him for a second before he was given a hard shake forcing his eyes open. He looked at the Jellicles silently pleading for them to do something but none of them moved. They realized his father wasn't kidding about breaking his neck; in fact, Rane believed his father wanted them to try something. He was taunting them just as he used to do to him. And by the look on Munkustrap's face, Rane wasn't sure if the Jellicle Protector could restrain himself much longer. Feeling tears starting to well up in his eyes, Rane again silently pleaded for them to do something, _anything,_ to get him out of this.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a movement off to the left; a small black and white cat had climbed to the top of a smaller junk pile; seeing the kitten watching him, he motioned for him to be quiet and to stay still. What could he possibly do from there? Rane kept his eye on the tux as he began doing something with his paws then flicked one toward his father as if he was knocking water off his fur. A series of bright flashes appeared just above his head; his father cried out and let go of him, stumbling back and covering his eyes. Rane didn't know what happened but he used the opportunity to scamper back toward the junkyard where Demeter grabbed him in a protective hug. Munkustrap turned his head toward him, silently checking to see if his father had hurt him then looked back at the monster as he shook his head, wiping his watery eyes. The monster fixed him with another murderous look and Rane turned away, burying his face in Demeter's fur as she held him close.

"You can't hide him forever," he heard the monster say then heard his footsteps hurrying away down the street. With the standoff finally over, Rane broke down and started to cry.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: A Visit with Old Deuteronomy

Chapter 5: A Visit with Old Deuteronomy

Demeter led the shaken and sobbing kitten away from the gate as the rest of the tribe whispered amongst themselves. That any cat, especially a father, could do that to his own son was unforgivable. In their minds, Armas was no better than Macavity and they each quietly promised not to let him get his paws on Rane again. Munkustrap stood in the gateway for a while longer watching Armas as he disappeared into an alleyway down the street from the junkyard and frowned. He would try again, he knew it. Cats like him didn't give up that easily. Rane would have to stay in the junkyard; it was the only place where he would be completely safe from that creature that called himself his father. The only problem was the Jellicles had a rule that if a kitten is taken in for whatever reason and the parents are found, they must return the kitten to them. In Rane's case, returning him would be the same as condemning him to death. The silver tabby turned and came back into the junkyard deciding that after Rane calmed down, he would take him to see Old Deuteronomy; perhaps seeing what Armas had done could convince their leader to bend the rule a bit.

Rane never once looked up as he walked with Demeter back to her and Munkustrap's den. This was never going to end; no matter where he ran, his father would always find him and drag him back. Though Demeter held him and told him he was completely safe, the charcoal kitten didn't believe her. If that monster wanted him, he would get him; that's the way it was, the way it had always been. Sooner or later, he would find himself being hauled back into hell by his tail. All he could do was keep running; don't stay in one spot for long and keep the monster off balance. Maybe, eventually, he would give up and leave him alone. No; he would never stop. The only way to stop him was by Rane's death and he knew it.

Rane cried for a good twenty five minutes; all the while Demeter stayed with him, holding him in her arms and gently rocking him. From time to time, other members of the tribe would peer into the den wondering how the kitten was doing and they all wore looks of disgust on their faces when they walked away. She couldn't blame them; after what they'd all witnessed, she probably wore the same look as well. Finally, when he had no more tears, Rane snuggled deeper into Demeter's fur slowly falling asleep. The black and gold queen held him a bit longer to make sure he was asleep then gently laid him on their bed before getting up and leaving the den. Munk was waiting for her outside.

"How is he?" he asked quietly.

"He's asleep now," she answered, "The poor little guy can't deal with this. I'm glad Mistoffelees was able to get Rane away from that monster. Everlasting Cat knows what he would've done if he'd taken him away. "

Munk nodded. "When he wakes up, I'll take him with me to see Old Deuteronomy. See if I can convince him to let him stay here."

"I hope so," Demeter said glancing back into the den at the sleeping kitten. He looked so vulnerable and fragile and it made her hate Armas even more. But right now, he needed to rest; no doubt his injuries would be aggravated from this if not worsened so they decided to get some more catnip from Jellylorum for when the kitten did wake up. In the meantime, Munk asked Jemima to keep an eye on him while they were gone.

A few minutes later, they were returning with the catnip when they heard a scream. Hurrying to the den, they found Rane thrashing about wildly; his eyes were wide open and he looked as if he was trying to fight something off. Jemima was trying to wake him up but she was a bit nervous about getting too close. Demeter held Jemima back while Munkustrap grabbed Rane's arms, held them down and called the kitten's name loudly. Rane blinked and held still; his face was a mask of terror as he looked up at the Protector.

"Where…where," he stammered looking around desperately.

"He's gone Rane," Munk said knowing who the kitten referred to, "He can't get you."

"No," Rane said starting to become frantic again, "He'll find me…he always does!"

"He won't get you," Munk said firmly, "I swear to you he won't."

At last Rane calmed down and sagged back into the blankets. He didn't cry this time; the only look on his face was one of frustration and Munk could understand. The kitten was fed up with this torment; he wanted, _needed_, it to stop.

"Is he going to be okay?" Jemima asked quietly. Munk looked at her but didn't answer. He could only hope that he would be.

Early in the evening, Munk took Rane to speak with the Jellicle leader. He made sure the kitten stayed close to him and constantly looked around, keeping a sharp eye out for Armas. Thankfully, there was no sign of him and they soon reached the old townhouse where Deuteronomy stayed. The Jellicle leader didn't mind humans; he enjoyed them petting him when he sat on the Vicarage Wall from time to time but he preferred the quiet and solitude of the old townhouse when he needed to relax.

The two quietly entered and made their way into the old living room to find the old cat sitting back on his bed; he smiled at them as they entered and Munk bowed in respect. Rane nervously hid a little behind the silver tabby.

"And what brings you here Munkustrap?" Deuteronomy asked.

"I have a request," Munk said formally, nudging Rane out from behind him. He introduced the kitten and explained to the old cat what had happened to him. Deuteronomy listened patiently, occasionally frowning slightly at some of the details and glancing down at the nervous kitten.

When Munkustrap had finished, Deuteronomy looked at Rane and said, "Come here young one."

Rane started to back away but Munk gave him a light nuzzle to reassure him and slowly, the kitten went up to the old cat. Deuteronomy asked Rane to sit with his back to him and Rane obeyed. Gently, the Jellicle leader parted the kitten's fur and lightly huffed at what he saw. Munk had been telling the truth; this kitten had been cruelly tortured.

"I understand our rule is to return Rane to his family," Munk said, "But from what I've seen of his father, I think it would be best if he remains in the junkyard."

Deuteronomy smoothed down Rane's fur. "Despicable," he said, "Why he would harm an innocent kitten like this…" Realizing the old cat was finished with his inspection, Rane hopped down off the blankets and hurried back over to Munk. Thinking for a moment, Deuteronomy finally said, "You are right Munkustrap. Returning Rane to his father would be a death sentence. I will allow him to stay."

"Thank you," Munk said, bowing again respectfully.

"Has he been introduced to the tribe yet?"

"He's met a few," Munk said, "But not all. I was afraid all the attention would be a bit too much for him at that point."

"Then he will be welcomed into our tribe tomorrow night," Deuteronomy said with a smile at Rane. The kitten actually found himself starting to smile back. Maybe this could be the start of the new life he had always hoped for.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Start of Something New

Chapter 6: Start of Something New?

On the way back to the junkyard, Munkustrap was pleased to see that Rane actually seemed a bit happier than normal. Sure he was still nervous but he could tell there was a bit of excitement mixed in with the nerves. He hoped that this would help to bring Rane out of his shell, as humans say. Really odd expressions humans have. Getting back to the junkyard, they entered quietly as everyone had gone to sleep and made their way toward Munk's den. Nearing the entrance, Munk heard the gate quietly open again and he turned around to look. Through the darkness he made out the form of Jennyanydots coming back from her visit with her humans and trying to be as quiet as she could. Looking up as she shut the gate behind her, she waved at Munkustrap and he waved back then she headed for her own den as Munk took Rane inside.

The following day passed normally and after a quick visit from Jellylorum to see how Rane's injuries were, the kitten was allowed to go outside again. He took his normal place on top of the old dishwasher and lay down. It wasn't long before Jemima and Pouncival came over and starting talking to him. From the doorway of their den, Demeter watched as the Rane chatted with the other kittens and seemed to actually enjoy it.

"He's coming around," she told Munkustrap as he stopped by on his patrol.

"I know," Munk said smiling a little, "I noticed he seemed a bit happier when we were coming back from seeing Old Deuteronomy."

"Is he allowed to stay?" Demeter asked. Munk nodded. "He said he'll come by tonight to officially welcome him into the tribe." They continued to watch him for a while then Munk went off on his patrol. He didn't mention anything to Demeter, he didn't want to worry her, but he had a bad feeling about tonight. Something kept nagging at him that this would be the night that Armas tried again to take back his son. His words kept repeating themselves in the back of his mind: _You can't hide him forever._ He felt a frown furrowing his brow a little as he stopped by the main gate and looked around the street. They would have to be ready.

From the same alleyway that he had nearly beaten Rane to death in, Armas sat, hidden in the shadow of a dumpster watching the junkyard. _Enjoy your little vacation boy,_ he thought bitterly as he watched Munkustrap turn and head back into the junkyard, _Cause tonight you're coming home._ The only problem; how was he supposed to get into the junkyard tonight, grab Rane, and get the hell out of there without being caught? There was no way he could do it alone; he'd already tried asking some of his friends but they were all too cowardly to take on the Jellicles. He bit his lower lip in frustration as he walked out from around the dumpster and headed down the alleyway. He needed a distraction; something to keep them busy while he grabbed his bastard son. He supposed he could go and try to talk to Macavity; the ginger tom had a big time grudge against the Jellicles and from the looks of him, he could take care of Munkustrap easily.

Still deep in thought, he rounded the corner at the far end of the alleyway and bumped into something hard. He stumbled back a couple of steps and growled; stupid tom ought to watch where the hell he was… That thought stopped cold as he looked up; he'd run right into a pack of Pollicles, the same ones that had chased him the other night. The leader of the group smiled down at him.

"Well, look who we have here," he said as the other three dogs gathered around, "Going somewhere kitty?"

"As a matter of fact, I was," Armas said, cursing the note of nervousness that was creeping into his voice, "I was going to see Macavity about something."

"Macavity huh?" a second Pollicle asked, growling at the mention of the ginger's name, "What for?"

"Who cares what for," the lead dog snapped, "We got a little unfinished business with you kitty."

"Now really guys," Armas said taking a step back, "How far would one cat go when spread out between all four of you?"

"Not far," the lead dog sneered stepping forward, "But you'll do for a snack."

_Think fast._ "Why waste your time with me?" Armas asked quickly, his nervousness threatening to make him bolt any second, "The Jellicles are just down that alley there; plenty of cats for you to eat instead of just one."

The lead Pollicle snarled. "And what makes you think we're going to go after them?" he demanded.

"They've always been a problem to you dogs," Armas said, choosing his words carefully, "Wouldn't it be great if _you_ were able to take them out?"

"Enough talk," a third Pollicle said angrily as he made to pounce on Armas. The lead dog viciously smacked him across the face and the other dog backed down. He looked back at Armas and seemed to consider this.

"You've got a point," he said quietly thinking of the popularity he would get for this. The dog that destroyed the Jellicles. He could get used to that, "And one of us can take out three or four Jellicles if we wanted to."

"Exactly," Armas said, his confidence returning, "You'd be a hero."

A smile started to play at the dog's mouth and Armas quietly congratulated himself; dogs were so, so gullible. That smile however vanished soon after and the dog demanded, "Hold on; why do you want us to attack them in the first place?"

"They kidnapped my son," Armas said hoping this would play on the dog's pity, if it had any, "That was why I was going to see Macavity. I needed help to get him back." The Pollicle snorted and the others in the group laughed; if it was a puppy, then they would feel sorry but a kitten?

"The kitten is your problem pal," he said, "Just leave the Jellicles to us. And by the way," he continued leaning in close, "If that kitten of yours gets in our way, don't try and be a _hero_. Come on guys, we gotta get ourselves ready for tonight's feast."

The Pollicles moved off, one purposely pushing Armas out of his way as they went. The silver tabby breathed a sigh of relief and smiled; now that he had his distraction, Rane was as good as his.

Later that evening, Old Deuteronomy arrived at the junkyard and made his way to Munkustrap's den. Rane sat inside with Munk and Demeter, clearly nervous about meeting the entire tribe but as Munk had seen the previous night, there was a spark of excitement in his eyes. The old cat smiled; Rane was starting to come out of his shell. Hearing the voices of the tribe gathering outside the den, Deuteronomy asked, "Ready?" Rane stood up, his stomach feeling like there were a million mice running around it, and nodded. The tribe quieted as they emerged from the den with Rane looking shyer than Mistoffelees. Old Deuteronomy cleared his throat and what little chattering there was ceased.

"I thank you all for coming," the old cat said, "We are here to welcome a new addition to our tribe." He motioned for Rane to join him and nervously, the charcoal kitten stepped forward. "Some of you have already met Rane and, I would suspect, most understand his situation." The majority of the tribe muttered in agreement remembering the terrifying incident at the gate. "However, I believe that, in time and with our help, Rane will be able to put those horrible experiences behind him. I regret to say that I am unable to remain here long tonight but I am sure you will do your best to make young Rane feel at home."

Looking down at the nervous kitten, Deuteronomy nodded to him as a sign to go and try to mingle with his new family. Rane hesitated, unsure whether he actually liked the idea of having to talk to so many cats at the same time but at last he cautiously made his way into the group. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the tribe was understanding of his nervousness; they didn't ask too many questions at first, just allowed him to open up on his own. Gradually, he started to become more confident; though not by much and he felt the tugs of a genuine smile creeping across his face. He was going to like it here.

While Rane was talking with the tribe, Old Deuteronomy bid farewell to Munkustrap and Demeter then quietly made his exit. He slowly made his way down the street, never noticing the five dark shapes that gathered in an alleyway nearby.

"Deuteronomy," a Pollicle said, growing excited.

"Leave him," the lead Pollicle growled, "He's not worth our time."

The Pollicle looked as if he was about to protest but thought better of it; besides his jaw was still sore from yesterday. Armas came up beside the lead Pollicle watching Deuteronomy disappear down the street. He was so busy thinking about what he had in store for Rane that he didn't hear the lead Pollicle give the word to move.

"One side furball," he growled, shoving Armas aside. The silver tabby hissed at him but all he got was a series of laughs from the dogs as they hurried out of the alleyway. He tagged along behind the last dog in line; this was going perfectly. The Jellicles would be completely distracted by the dogs attack and…

"Pollicles!" came a shout from atop a junk pile. Armas looked up to see a cat jumping down off the pile as the dogs began barking excitedly. _Here we go…_

Hearing Alonzo's shout, Munkustrap yelled, "Get the kittens inside!" Jenny hustled the kittens toward her den while Jellylorum rounded up Pouncival and Tumblebrutus as they were heading off with the rest of the tribe to meet the dog's charge. Rushing toward the main gate, he expected to see an army of dogs bursting through the gate but instead, there was only four which surprised him. Only four? Something wasn't right. Nonetheless, the Jellicles met the dogs head on.

While the tribe battled the dogs, Armas slipped past them, keeping to the shadows and made his way toward Jenny's den. He chuckled to himself but failed to see Plato turn his head in time to see him disappear into Jenny's den. He rushed back from the fight and hurried toward the den praying he wasn't too late.

Hearing footsteps, Jenny looked up in time to see a silver tabby burst in through the doorway. What in Heavyside was Munkustrap doing in here? He should be outside with the rest of the tribe. That was when she realized that this tabby was not Munkustrap; he was stockier for one and his stripes were thinner.

"Get away from them," Plato shouted bursting in behind the tabby. He tackled Armas from behind and they tumbled across the floor scratching and biting each other furiously. Victoria screamed when Armas got the upper paw on Plato and smashed his head into the floor dazing him. Without hesitating, she lunged at the tabby but he swatted her away like she was a fly. Jenny tried to interfere but the tabby smacked her as well. His eyes swept the room and finally came to rest on Rane who looked back at him with absolute terror.

"Playtime's over boy," he growled as he grabbed the kitten. Rane struggled but was silenced by a sharp punch in the face. Tossing the semi conscious kitten over his shoulder, Armas left the den and seeing the fight was almost finished, quickly made his way around it and was nearly out the gate when Munkustrap noticed him.

"Stop," Munk shouted but Armas merely sneered at him and hurried off. The Protector tried to go after him but a Pollicle made a last ditch lunge at him grabbing his tail in his mouth. Munk cried out then turned and batted the dog off; it was too weak to have a good grip and the rest of the tribe dealt with it easily. He hurried to the gate just in time to see Armas disappear into the alleyway down the street, Rane drapped almost lifelessly over his shoulder. Calling out to Tugger, Alonzo and Mistoffelees, they ran after the fleeing tabby.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Past Comes Back to Haunt You

Chapter 7: The Past Comes Back to Haunt You

_Damn those bloody dogs,_ Armas thought as he hurried through the alleyway, _why couldn't they have kept them busy for just a bit longer?_ He could hear the Jellicles's paw steps behind him; three of them and even though Rane wasn't that big or heavy, Armas knew eventually he would slow him down. He couldn't stop and switch the kitten into a more comfortable position either; he already had a good lead on them but from the sounds of it, they were catching up. What he needed was to get those Jellicles off his back long enough for him to get away but how? It wasn't like there were any other dogs, or cats for that matter, around that were willing to help him out and he again cursed his so-called friends for being such wimps. Oh sure, they would help him out in a heartbeat if they were going after any other cat, but the Jellicles? Forget it; you're on your own. He heard one of the Jellicles shout out something and groaned lightly. Where the hell was Macavity when you needed him?

Hang on a second; didn't he have to pass through Macavity's territory to get to where he was going? Yes, he did and even if the ginger tom wasn't around, there were usually a few henchcats or alley cats nearby; they wouldn't really care about him but they would attack the Jellicles on sight. A slight grin tugged at the corner of his mouth; just a bit farther.

"This way!" Tugger called out as he rounded the corner of the alleyway. Munkustrap and Misto came out a few steps behind him and saw the dull sheen of Armas's fur as he passed beneath a streetlamp. Rane still hadn't moved a muscle and Munk prayed that they, or at least Tugger, could catch that monstrous cat before he got away. The Maine Coon was one of the fastest cats in the tribe and with his longer strides he could catch up to Armas fairly quickly. A knot of worry suddenly twisted in Munkustrap's gut; he recognized the area they were heading into as Macavity's territory. He grudgingly had to give Armas credit; he knew where to run to if he wanted to lose them; Macavity's henchcats would attack the three of them on sight. He and Tugger would have to deal with them, if they came across any, and hopefully Mistoffelees would be able to keep up with Armas.

The area started becoming more dirty and run down; a few overturned garbage cans, more industrial looking buildings and the couple of cats that they caught glimpses of were mangier and more vicious looking. Sure enough, one cat looked up from the rat he was eating and yelled out, "Jellicles!" prompting a group of three others to emerge from hiding places in front of them and move in to cut them off.

_Damn it!_ Munk called ahead to Tugger who was forced to slow down as two of the alley cats came at him while the other two focused on him and Mistoffelees. As the skirmish began, Armas stopped and turned back, a nasty smile on his face. Though he concentrated on the cat in front of him, Munk noticed the other tabby take Rane off his shoulder and tuck him under his arm before heading off again.

"Misto, go after him," Munk ordered as he shoved one alley cat into the brick wall of the building next to him, "Tugger and I will take care of these guys." The tux nodded and hurried off, lending a paw to Tugger by pushing one alley cat off balance as he passed by which allowed Tugger the chance to punch him squarely in the jaw, knocking him out cold. The other two were not about to give up and fought back harder.

With the kitten tucked neatly under his arm, Armas could move a lot better but he knew the black tux was keeping up. No matter; it would be easier to deal with him once he got to where he needed to go; both Rane and the tux could take a swim. He took a quick glance back as he ran and grinned as Mistoffelees kept up with him. _That's right tux,_ he thought, _keep coming._ He suddenly took a sharp right turn down a small side street which Misto wasn't prepared for and he slipped and fell, allowing Armas to increase his lead. The tux quickly got up and continued the chase; he could smell the distinct aroma of fish and realized they were at the docks; one of the fishing warehouses by the smell of it. As Armas squeezed through a hole in the fence and disappeared inside the building Misto came to a stop. He held his paws up over his head and sent a burst of sparks into the night sky; a beacon for Munk and Tugger to find him then slipped through the hole himself and followed the silver tabby inside.

After polishing off the alley cats, Munk happened to notice the sparks shining in the sky off to their right and the two were off again. _The docks,_ Munk thought worriedly, _why in Heavyside is he bringing Rane there? _They followed the sparks still twinkling in the night sky as quickly as they could.

Rane slowly started coming around; his head felt like he'd been clubbed by a Pollicle and he wasn't sure exactly what had happened. He remembered the four Pollicles attacking the junkyard, being herded into Jenny's den, his father bursting in…after that everything was hazy. He felt the coolness of the concrete floor underneath him and the smell of fish came wafting into his nostrils. He forced his unwilling eyes to open and blinked a few times to clear his vision.

"Finally awake are you?"

The sound of that voice cleared any haziness in his mind and Rane looked up to see his father standing over him clutching a new chunk of wood. Fear flooded his body and he rolled over onto his back, trying to scramble backwards far enough to get up and run. Armas however, stepped down hard on his tail forcing a cry of pain from the kitten and stopping him from going any farther.

"Thought you were pretty smart running to the Jellicles like that didn't you," Armas growled as Rane tried to pull his tail out from under his foot. He reached down and grabbed the kitten by his neck, got off his tail, and hauled him to his feet. "Didn't you," he shouted and Rane shut his eyes fearfully, nodding quickly.

"I told them," he hissed into Rane's ear, "they couldn't hide you forever. The past…_always_ comes back to haunt you." He dropped the kitten to the floor and smiled as Rane didn't even try to run; there was nowhere to run. The room they were in was an old storage room, full of boxes of supplies and tools.

"Leave me alone," Rane said nearly on the verge of crying. Armas looked at him with mock sympathy then lifted the kitten's chin so he was looking him in the eye.

"Leave you alone?" he asked mocking his son, "Is that what you want?" His face hardened and he shook his head. "You're pathetic," he snapped, "And you know what? I'm truly going to enjoy this."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Banish Your Demons

Chapter 8: Banish Your Demons

When Mistoffelees entered the fishing warehouse, he mentally kicked himself for stopping outside the fence to send out the signal for Munk and Tugger. He could've done that while he was moving; he knew he wasn't strong enough to tackle Armas on his own, but by the same token, it would cost him time trying to figure out where Armas had gone and by the time he did find him, Rane could be dead. The warehouse itself was simply one giant room filled with machinery and large metal crates; there were doors along the walls but which one had that monster taken Rane into? He sighed in frustration; he could use his magical senses to find any trace of the kitten; feelings of fear most likely but again, that would take time. And judging by that sneer Armas had on his face when Macavity's alley cats attacked them, Misto knew he didn't have long.

He headed toward the first door on his left hoping he would get lucky but it was locked; moving on to the next one, it too was locked. He hurried onward and just got to the third door, discovering this one was locked as well, when he heard a voice shout something. Perking up his ears, he listened; since the place was so big, any noise produced an echo but he could tell the voice had come from a door at the far end of this wall. He didn't know what the voice had said but it had sounded angry and that was all needed to know.

Nearing the correct door, Misto hoped that he wasn't too late and his heart suddenly clenched as he heard a loud cry of pain. It wasn't a single cry either; it kept going and was getting louder. Recognizing Rane's voice, Misto slipped inside the cracked open door to by greeted with a terrifying sight; Rane lay on his side on the concrete floor of the storage room curled in a ball and screaming in pain. Armas stood over him, hitting him hard and fast with a chunk of wood. The tabby was beating his son to death. Without hesitating, Misto thrust out his paw sending a bolt of lightning at Armas but unfortunately, he missed. The bolt flew just wide of the tabby's back, striking the wall next to him. On the good side, it startled the tabby enough to make him stop attacking Rane and he turned, bewildered, to face the Conjuring Cat. The tux then flicked his paw at him, as he had done at the junkyard, but Armas was ready this time. He turned his head away and shielded his eyes as the bright lights flashed in front of him.

Mistoffelees took a quick glance at Rane; the charcoal kitten still lay curled on the floor and seeing the pain written on his small face, knew it was pointless to try and tell him to run. He had to get him out of here but first, he needed to deal with this thing that called itself a cat as it turned back toward him. _Munk, you and Tugger better get here quick,_ Misto thought, _I don't know how long I can hold him off._

Outside, Munkustrap and Tugger arrived at the warehouse where they had seen Mistoffelees's sparks. Before he squeezed through the fence, Munk took a quick look back the way they had come praying that everything was alright at the junkyard. When he, Misto and Tugger had first set off after Armas, he had originally told Alonzo to come with them. But as they were heading through the alley, one of the Pollicles in the junkyard had let out a plaintive howl. Munk had understood that the dog was calling for help and silently cursed when the call was answered. He briefly stopped and told Alonzo to go back.

"Get everyone ready for a second attack," he had ordered and the black and white tom had quickly nodded and scampered off back to the yard while Munk rushed to catch up with Misto and Tugger.

"Munk come on," Tugger called impatiently, "We gotta get goin'!"

_Just relax,_ his mind said firmly, _Alonzo knows what he's doing. Your only focus right now is getting to Rane before Armas kills him._ Munk gave his head a shake then he squeezed through the fence and followed his brother inside.

"You Jellicles always have to stick your noses into everyone's business don't you," Armas growled as he stood in front of Rane like a predator guarding his prey. The black tux didn't answer nor did he make any move. Though he looked angry, Armas was actually pleased the tux had interrupted him. Killing Rane was going to be sweet but having him watch one of his little Jellicle friends die before him would make it even sweeter.

"Come on tux," he taunted motioning for Mistoffelees to attack, "Let's see what you got." Misto started to raise his paw but Armas quickly charged catching him off guard. He swung the wooden club at Misto's head as he ran but all he caught was air and a puff of smoke. The little cat had disappeared.

"Oh, you want to play cat and mouse now huh?" Armas demanded looking around, "Well that's fine with me!"

When he turned back around however, Misto was standing in front of him again and he belted Armas in the face knocking the larger cat back a few steps. Pressing his advantage, Misto came at him, hitting him as hard as he could but Armas shoved him away. The tux was scrappy though, and he came right back but Armas jabbed him in the stomach with the club then smacked him in the head. The blow spun Misto around in mid air before he crashed to the floor. He started to move in when he noticed Rane starting to crawl away. Growling he came back over to his bastard son and stamped his paw down on his back forcing him to the floor again.

"You can't leave yet," Armas said, "The show's just getting started."

"You mean the show's over,"

Turning back, Armas snarled at Munkustrap and Tugger as they stood next to their fallen friend. The tux was slowly getting up and the Maine Coon was helping him to stand.

"You want the kid?" Armas asked pointing the block of wood at them as Munkustrap came forward, "Then you can have what's left of him!"

Quick as a flash, he turned and swung the club downward striking Rane on the side of his head. The kitten tumbled limply away and Armas smirked at Munkustrap who stood in stunned silence.

"You okay Misto?" Tugger asked an edge of anger in his voice. He had also seen what Armas had done and was itching to get his paws on him.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Misto answered.

"Get the kid outta here," Tugger said, "We got this." He walked over to join his brother as Armas stepped away from the unmoving kitten still smirking at them.

"What's it gonna be boys?" Armas asked tapping the club in his paw, "Which one of you wants to join him first?"

He expected the Jellicles to simply take Rane and leave; this had always worked in the past. No cat would dare mess with him when he had a weapon in his paws. He tapped the club in his paw as he watched Mistoffelees make his way over to the kitten and crouch beside him. He made a short mock lunge at the cat hoping to make him stumble back in fear but he didn't. _Whatever._ When he turned back however, Munkustrap and Tugger took him down before he even realized what was happening, the club knocked from his hand. They pummeled him viciously and for the first time in his life, Armas knew what fear was. He was defenseless; he couldn't even bring his paws up to shove them off.

He looked over at Mistoffelees and briefly saw Rane starting to come around. Vaguely, he knew he hadn't hit the kitten as hard as he thought he had. He shoved and kicked with everything he had but the two brothers were relentless.

"Stop!" he heard a voice yell and the two cats listened. Breathing heavily, Armas rolled over onto his stomach and saw Mistoffelees holding Rane up; the kitten looked at him for a moment then pushed Misto off him and grabbed the club that was nearby. He couldn't believe it but Rane was actually going to save him. Despite all the pain and misery that boy had caused him, he wasn't going to let these two kill him. A smile played at the corner of his mouth; maybe he'd been wrong about the boy.

"I knew you'd come through for me son," he said happily as the kitten stumbled toward him. His relief vanished however when he saw the look of hatred on the boy's face; he started to rise but Rane kicked him back onto the floor and stood over him; exactly the way he had stood over the kitten earlier. He heard the other tabby say something to Rane about not doing something he'd regret but the kitten wasn't listening. Slowly Rane lifted the chunk of wood with both paws over his head and Armas realized what he was about to do.

"Rane don't!" Munk yelled and tried to grab the wood but he was too late; Rane brought the club down with everything he had, screaming in rage then repeated the motion three more times. Misto looked away when the kitten brought the club down the first time but was surprised when instead of the wet crunching sound he expected, there was only the THUNK of wood against concrete. He turned back to the scene in time to watch the kitten banish his demons by smashing the club into the floor on either side of his father's head while Armas covered his head with his arms and cowered in fear.

After the first strike, Munk had backed off and kept Tugger back as well; the kitten needed this. All the anger and pain that he had kept bottled up for so long had to be released and now he aimed the club at his father's face and said fiercely, "I _never_ want to see you again!" He stepped back and Armas got to his feet. He took one look at his son then turned and ran out of the room as fast as he could. Rane watched his father go then stumbled; Tugger hurried forward and caught the kitten just as he passed out. Picking him up in his arms, the three of them left the warehouse as well relieved that Rane's nightmare was finally over.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Peace at Last

Chapter 9: Peace at Last

As they headed back to the junkyard, trying to move as quickly as possible without harming the kitten more, Tugger couldn't help but wonder why Munkustrap had allowed Rane to nearly bash in his father's cowardly head. It would've made for one less problem to worry about but still there could've been another way for him to let out all his frustration. And to be quite honest, seeing Rane like that scared him; the kitten had practically become a smaller version of his father and the Maine Coon wondered if that rage was ever going to surface again. If it did, they were all in trouble. As they passed through Macavity's territory they were relieved that there weren't any more henchcats waiting in ambush for them; the four they had encountered here were gone; no doubt running back to their boss to tell him what happened. And that meant the tribe was going to be hearing from the ginger tom sometime soon.

On the way, Rane started to wake up and squirmed a bit in Tugger's arm, wincing in pain. They stopped briefly, Misto placing his paw on Rane's head and casting a spell that put him to sleep then they hurried onward again. Munk wanted to get back to the junkyard as soon as possible; he was worried about the second Pollicle attack not to mention Demeter's well being. In Tugger's mind, his brother worried a little too much about the black and gold queen; she wasn't a kitten for Bast's sake; she could take care of herself. He never said anything to Munk about it because he already knew the answer; he was only saying that because Demeter had been the only queen that rejected him.

The junkyard was cleared of Pollicles and the tribe seemed to be alright; Jennyanydots and Jellylorum had a few injured to take care of; Plato had a broken foot from a Pollicle's bite, Cassandra had been tossed against the bumper of the TSE-1 but had continued to fight; although she collapsed soon after it was over and had to be brought here but the majority was bites and cuts. The Gumbie Cat told Jelly to make room as she saw the three coming into the junkyard then hurried out and took the sleeping Rane from Tugger and carried him inside.

For the next three days, Rane hardly woke up; Misto's spell had long since worn off and Jenny began to worry that his injuries were worse than she originally thought. Broken ribs, a bruised collarbone and a nasty bump on his head were bad enough but if he had intenal bleeding, probably caused by the broken ribs; that could be deadly. All they could do was wait. She and Jelly moved the kitten to a separate den away from the rest of the kittens so he could rest properly and some of the kittens even volunteered to keep an eye on him. When Munk and Demeter came by to see how he was, they found Pouncival and Jemima inside. They entered quietly so they wouldn't disturb him.

"Has he woken up?" Demeter asked in a hushed voice. The kittens shook their heads.

"He's mumbled a bit in his sleep," Pouncival answered, "But he hasn't woken up at all." Munk moved closer to have a look at Rane; there was a slight frown on his face and every so often he twitched a little but he gave no indication that he realized anyone was nearby.

"I hope he comes out of this soon," Jemima said. Pouncival snickered a little and she gave him a whack with her paw.

"She likes him," Pouncival said to Munk who smiled. Jemima gave her friend another, harder whack. "Shut up," she said trying to hide the blush growing beneath her fur.

"That's enough," Demeter said gently, "We want Rane to wake up on his own, not from listening to you two bickering."

The kittens grumbled a bit but remained quiet and as Munk and Demeter started to leave, they heard a small groan. Turning back they noticed Rane was starting to wake up. They came back inside just as his golden eyes cracked open, blinking away the sleep.

"Hey, he's awake," Pouncival called making Rane wince slightly from the noise. He carefully lifted his head to look around; he was back the junkyard, he knew that much and in someone's den. He couldn't tell whose; he never seen this one before. Pouncival and Jemima were sitting next to him; Munkustrap and Demeter were just behind them. He smiled lightly at the kittens; Jemima blushed again and Pouncival grinned at her reaction, obviously keeping himself from laughing, then looked at Munk and Demeter.

"Is he gone?" he asked weakly.

"He's gone," Munk answered nodding, "You made sure of that."

Rane smiled again then lay back down. He took as deep a breath as he could manage and fell back asleep. Figuring he needed some quiet, Munk and Demeter took Jemima and Pouncival outside with them. Glancing back in before he went out, Munk could see the serene look on the kitten's face. This was probably the first peaceful sleep he'd had his entire life. As the kittens went off to find their friends and Demeter headed off back to her den, Tugger sauntered over to his brother.

"The little guy awake yet?" he asked looking over at the den.

Munk nodded. "He was awake for a minute or so then he went back to sleep,"

"Hey I was meanin' to ask you," Tugger said, "Why'd you let him do that? Bashin' the floor around Armas's head I mean."

"I don't know," Munk answered shaking his head.

"Well, he could've smashed his head in," Tugger said, "I mean, it would take care of one more problem, but still. How'd you know he wouldn't do it?"

"I couldn't tell you," Munk said honestly, "I just…had a feeling I guess."

Tugger looked at him. "You had a feeling?" he asked with a smirk, "Oh for the love of Bast Munk, don't tell me you're gettin' like the twins now. I mean I know you're weird and all, but come on. Two of them is enough."

"If I were you," Munk said smirking also, "I'd be worried about Rane giving you some competition. Cause judging by the way Jemima was looking at him in there and how the queenkits were talking about him the last couple of days…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Tugger said cutting him off, "Don't even go there. That kid has a _long_ way to go before he can top me."

He sauntered off and Munk couldn't help but laugh. Tugger was so easy to bait it was almost cruel; almost. He scanned the top of the junk piles looking for Alonzo; he didn't see him anywhere which meant he was either at the other end of the yard or he was shirking his duty again. Munk guessed on the latter but before he went looking for him he turned back thinking to have one more look in at Rane but was surprised to find Jenny helping the kitten come outside. Seeing Munk looking at him, a genuine smile appeared on his face and he looked as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. His nightmare was at last over and he could enjoy the peace he deserved.


End file.
